Today we’re kicking off a month of encouragement for moms! Proverbs 31 Ministries is partnering with D6 Family Conference and Ministry, along with Focus on the Family, Barna Research Group, Dave Ramsey, John Trent, Angela Thomas and many more who believe that moms (and dads) have the most important job on earth.
God has entrusted moms and dads with an amazing calling, yet the by day-to-day demands on our time and attention often consume all that we have to give. In survival mode, we lose sight of the clearest command God’s given to us as parents in (D6) Deuteronomy 6:5-9, to make daily deposits of faith into our children’s lives and leave a spiritual legacy.
Mom, there is no one else who can take your place. Being a parent is the most important investment of your time and attention. But don’t let that overwhelm you. You don’t have to do it all and you don’t have to do it alone. Most of all, you don’t have to do it perfectly! This month our hope is to make it more “doable” for you. So, I’ll be writing about my personal journey as a mom, and featuring guests who will share lessons they’ve learned along the way that have helped their family incorporate D6 moments into every day life. And I hope you’ll share yours!!!
Before we get started, I want to share why we think this is so important. Please take a few minutes to watch this video and come back to let us know your thoughts.
We want to hear from you, so let us know what’s on your mind and what your greatest needs are as a mom. How does this video make you feel? What does it evoke in your thoughts? Does it make you want to ask anything?
We’ll be drawing names based on your thoughts and questions from this post today through Friday. Saturday morning we’ll announce the winner of a D6/P31 family gift pak that includes a cool D6 family coffee mug, a D6 t-shirt, a year’s subscription to the P31 magazine for mom and a year subscription to D6 Clear magazine for kids. And be sure to come back for more encouragement and give-aways all month!
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This video excites me because I agree 100% with what was shared. We need the awakening and reminding of this message. We need to be intentional. I have made it a priority as a Mom to give my son a Biblical foundation from an early age and use teachable moments, yet even with my own efforts, I feel there is so much more I could have done.
This video also puts me into a bit of a panic mode when I come face-to-face with the reality that in another year my son is off to University and I have this small window of opportunity left to share God’s Word with him on a daily basis in the way I do now. Oh, I’ll still be in touch with him, praying for him daily, but he won’t be in our home. The brevity of the time left with him here in our home makes my breath catch in my throat. Have I done enough? When decisions need to be made, will he make godly choices? Has my life given evidence of a mom who takes everything to the Lord so that his immediate response when struggles arise will be to call on the Lord? When our children are young, we think we have so much time and if we aren’t consistant with our spiritual training, or we miss a few days it’s OK – we have all these years ahead of us. Trust me, they go by so quickly. Suddenly your heart fills with the urgency to use all the time remaining.
In the last 4 1/2 months I’ve been offered 4 jobs. I haven’t even been looking for work – I’ve just received phone calls offering me positions. With the enconomy the way it is, and my husband employed by General Motors, it has been tempting to return to the workforce. Each time as I prayed about my response to these offers the Lord reminded me of my call as a mom. He clearly spoke to me that at least until my son goes off to University, I am to remain at home. Some might think that as a teenager, he would be OK on his own, but as a teenager he is also sailing through uncharted waters in the area of relationships, huge decisions about future vocation etc… I want to be there to offer the support and guidance his little boy heart still longs for at this time and be able to open God’s Word together with him and pray with him. Every moment has the promise of being a teachable moment and I don’t want to miss any.
Can’t wait to hear more about the D6 Family. May the Lord bless the efforts being made and may the result be strong households of faith.
Blessings,
Joy
Gosh, there are so many thoughts running through my mind right now that I don’t know if I can catch them fast enough to get them on paper. Here is goes:
– Am I doing enough and is there ever too much?
– Do I know enough to teach my child (4 and 13)? They are so smart and I often fumble with Scripture references.
– Am I (or how do I) present the Word so not to turn my kids off or roll their eyes and say, “Here she goes again”?
– Am I modeling well enough that they notice and will impact them?
– We find it so hard, even though I try, to do devotionals at home. How do I make sure we have time for discussions?
– Since the father is the head of the house, how does the mother present family worship times or devotionals? My husband supports me but I do not like feeling like I have to drag him into it. Does that make sense?
– How do you help your step-child walk in the Word when he is at his mother’s house?
– How do you equip your 13 year old step-son to stand up when things happen at his mother’s house that we don’t approve of.
– We spend most of our Sunday at church with service, kids choir, and MYF. Is there such a thing as too much church?
Our children go to a Christian private school, have Bible study at church on Wednesdays, attend church service and Sunday school on Sunday mornings participate in the choir and have fellowship and devotionals Sunday evenings. With all of those things you would think they got enough of the Word. But like the one gentleman said about all the walking time, prayer request time there isn’t much actual study time. There is so much fluff that I wonder sometimes if it is even worth it. Would we be better off staying home and studying the Word as a family.
Sorry if I typed too much. It sure feels good to get that out though. 🙂
I couldn’t be more in need of a month of encouragement. Right now my husband is in seminary, and I have had to return to work. Every day I struggle with feeling inadequate as a woman who strives to be a Godly mom, because I am not able to be at home with our son. I feel like the lack of time is such a hindrance. I am reminded as I ponder on this that God has given us the powerful tool of prayer.
As for application, I am wondering specific ways that I can talk with my two year old about Jesus. He always says, “I want to hold Jesus”. It’s hard to explain to my toddler.
Hey There,
I am very much in agreement with the gentleman that said "this is our mission field". I have felt that way for so long. There is so much work to be done right here with our own children so that our society does not get anymore out of control than it already is! My oldest daughter is 20 and I feel like I have just as much an important role in her life now that she is in college as when she was her sisters age(16). Our job as a parent is to train them up from the time of birth and it really shouldn't ever end. If we do this then they see us more as a friend to talk to and learn with and I don't believe it will seem as "preachy". Just yesterday when I picked my daughter up from school she immediately started talking to me about things she had found out a girl from our church was doing and I know this family well enough to know that other than going to church a couple Sundays a month there is no ministry. It is so important for them to see us (the parents) reading our Bible and praying,etc on a daily basis and I believe they will do the same, my girls have. One other thing that has been successful at our church is a Moms In Touch prayer group. The children know that their moms are getting together every Sunday evening just to pray for the children and the schools. Sorry I talked too long! I think this is an awesome ministry to be a part of. I am going to have D6 scripture printed & framed and put it in our family room.
Thanks for your commitment to our families.
Sweet Blessings,
Margaret
Renee,
What a great post! i am eager to see where God takes this. i want to teach my children so much. I often get questions that I don’t know the anwers too. And the questions often come at bedtime. Thank you for bringing this topic to the forefront.
Stephenie
God works in mysterious ways…Just started a time for kids devos in the morning again…we have gotten away from it. Everyone needs to get up at different times, and everyone is scrambling…so I put candles out for each one, and if they are not shut off I know they didn’t do them. We also have a prayer journal. I am so amazed at the prayers my little ones, and big ones are writing! Amazing. But, before we started this up again, God has been convicting me to do this again. Then your blog…then something in Beth Moore study, ect…on and on. i am glad that we did it. I have also recently started to reevaluate my time, which then reflects on what my kiddos are doing. I am starting a foster care ministry… it is a huge undertaking. We will buy land and build homes, for Christian, married couples to do foster care in a community called Hope Blooms. My husband and I want to live in this community also. We have always had a paasion for children, and their importance. Well, if I wasn’t even taking more time for my children, and doing this or that around the house, how I am going to minister to other children that have horrible lives. So, I try to get what I need to get done during the day, I am blessed to be home! Then spend TIME with them. Talk with them, go to their rooms and chat, play games, talk about how their lives reflect what the Bible says…..I am eager to read more about this, and the timing of the video was another realization of God’s right timing…makes me smile when things like that happen! Oh I cannot wait to hear more from all of you…I cannot wait for my ministry to take off! Make the difference in my children’s lives, and other children that God entrusts in my life….
Thanks Renee and everyone!
Shannon
http://www.hopebloomsmn.org
I totally agree that we cannot leave it up to the church to teach our children about Christ. The example set in the home environment is so very important. I am like Lara who asked how to get the Dad’s more involved in the process. My husband is a wonderful Christian man, but I find that often I must step into the role of being the spiritual head-of-the-household. I pray that God will keep me humble and that I will cry out to hear His voice and follow closely His commands so that my son will see the reality of Jesus in my everyday life. I don’t want to preach the gospel; it is my desire to live the gospel so loudly and so lovingly that others are drawn to join me!
I am looking forward to seeing what tips and thoughts that are shared through this crucial discussion. May God bless and keep you and your family as you lead us Renee. And, thanks for your faithfulness!
I have always believed this, even if I haven’t been so great at practicing it. It is only one factor in why we chose to homeschool our children. The difficulty lies in the fact that our children learn so much more by what they *see* than what I *say.* It puts a lot of pressure on me and I often miss the mark behavior-wise. But then I get to talk about grace and forgiveness…. so there is some benefit even to my weakness.
My own desire has always been to raise godly children. However, and this hurts me deeply to say it, the church has left me in frustration because I have not received support from the pulpit in regards to being a full-time homemaker and mother of five. I have been made to feel guilty because I did not teach or serve in the church while raising young children. It was conveyed to me that works in the service of the church were more important than my service to my home. Those who are busy as bees outside of their homes are commended while women, as myself, are often looked upon as “bench warmers”. May I leave you a quote which has encouraged me when left discouraged by “religion”…” There were some women who supposed that, the moment they became Christians, they were to run about everywhere. “No”, says the apostle, “let them keep at home.” There is no gain to the Christian church when the love, and the industry and the zeal, which ought to make a happy home, are squandered on something else.” Charles H. Spurgeon
I love this video. I completely agree that the family needs to take the lead in raising spiritual kids, but how? I’m still so new at living a life of faith that I’m not sure I know enough to lead my kids. I’m looking forward to learning more on your blog this month!
As a mom of teenage boys I struggle with the quantity of teaching. Like “anonymous” above, my boys feel I am too “preachy” also. They were raised with going to church…praying together as a family…scripture memorization through the youth program. They attend youth group/sunday school. I feel that I have failed in showing them how to truly make their faith their own.
And my husband who is a very quiet laid back personality is a believer but has never taken the initiative in devotions or family worship. I have encouraged him…and he feels that he watched his father pray and study his bible and that faith is learned by example.
This is a great start to encouraging parents to see how important their role is in raising Godly children.
Thank you for introducing this to me and the rest of your blog readers! I am eager to read what else you will post about this topic as it really will help me with my children! I have just started teaching my son (age 2) some simple scriptures to memorize and am very excited to do more! I am now going to check out the D6 website!
~Jessica
Thank you for introducing this to me and the rest of your blog readers! I am eager to read what else you will post about this topic as it really will help me with my children! I have just started teaching my son (age 2) some simple scriptures to memorize and am very excited to do more! I am now going to check out the D6 website!
~Jessica
This is so true, but sometimes difficult in reality. My kids are older–ages 14 and 16. They feel like I am too “preachy” at times. I think the challenge is incorporatiing Godly views and values into every conversation without it turning the off.
I’m close to tears. Oh yes Renee, you have heard my heart. How can I teach my son, lead my son to God? I’m not sure how to be that example. He is two years old. I was raised in a nominally God believing home, we were made to go to church but we didn’t pray together, read the Bible together, or really talk about God. I am a Christian that accepted the Lord at 13. I’m now 35 and have walked with the Lord all these years. I want to start a new way so that my children will love the Lord, and will teach their children to love the Lord. Thankfully my husband is also a believer but we are both in the same boat in that we just don’t know how to live out our faith at home, and with each other. I’m so excited to hear all you’ll have to say this month. Thank you Renee.
What a great wake up call. I can’t wait to follow this the next few days! A couple of questions – how do you get the dads more involved in sewing those seeds? As moms, we’re with our kids more throughout the day – at breakfast, in the car, etc. What are some practical tips for dad to get involved without it seeming forced or fake? It’s hard for my kids to relate to their dad sometimes because on some days, they don’t even see him.
Yes! I agree! This is what I’ve been learning about over the past year, and I’m trying to find new ideas and practical ways to do this. The church can’t do everything, and just because someone works for the church doesn’t mean that they’re an expert in anything. We need to take the lead to teach our children, and I’m looking forward to finding new ways to do this.
Hi, Renee!
My one desire is to sew God’s Word into their hearts daily. And to be an example to them….not of a great mom, but of a mom who desperately needs Jesus’ grace, mercy and love. A mom who asks for forgiveness when I have sinned. A mom who does not lower the standard but rather keeps it raised to line up with God’s Word. A mom who lives in the Truth. A mom who prays for them. A mom who listens to and talks with them.
Thanks, Renee. I am excited to follow this D6! 🙂
Hey, Renee!
This was a great wake-up call! There are so many parents who need to see this clip. I loved the way that the speakers truly plugged in D6–for the parents! We do need to share, remind, and encourage our children as we rise, go through the day, and before we go to bed. I loved the way that one mentioned taking out the ear buds!! We are up against so much “stuff” in our culture. Thanks so much for sharing this. I plan on forwarding it to friends.
Blessings,
Susan
Hi, Renee!
My one desire is to sew God’s Word into their hearts daily. And to be an example to them….not of a great mom, but of a mom who desperately needs Jesus’ grace, mercy and love. A mom who asks for forgiveness when I have sinned. A mom who does not lower the standard but rather keeps it raised to line up with God’s Word. A mom who lives in the Truth. A mom who prays for them. A mom who listens to and talks with them.
Thanks, Renee. I am excited to follow this D6! 🙂